The present invention relates to hood-latching systems for releasably holding engine-compartment hoods in a closed position. Such hood-latching systems includes one or more hood latches, each of which has latch-mounting structure through which the hood latch is mounted to either the engine-compartment hood or a latch-anchor component of the vehicle. Each hood latch of such hood-latching systems has latching structure which can be releasably latched to base latching-structure anchored to whichever of the engine-compartment hood and the latch-anchor component the hood latch is not mounted. When the latching structure of the hood latches and the base latching-structures of the hood-latching system are disengaged from one another the hood-latching system presents no resistance to movement of the engine-compartment hood from its closed position. When the latching structures of the hood latches and the base latching-structures of such a hood-latching system are latched to one another and the hood latches are secured, the hood latches resist movement of the engine-compartment hood from its closed position.
In particular the present invention relates to hood-latching systems that have hood latches with a tension body constructed of elastomer material. The tension body of such hood latches is stretched from its free state and applies hood-retention forces to the engine-compartment hood of the vehicle when the hood latches are properly latched and secured. The tension bodies of such hood latches have an anchor end and a draft end. The anchor end of the tension body of such a hood latch has either the latching structure of the hood latch or the latch-mounting structure of the hood latch attached to it and the draft end of the tension body has attached to it whichever of the latching structure and the latch-mounting structure the anchor end does not have attached to it. The draft end of such a hood latch has a draft lever attached to it. A portion of the draft lever distant from a pivot end of the draft lever is attached to the draft end of the tension body. The tension body and the draft lever are constructed and engaged to one another in such a manner that the draft lever can pivot about axes perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the tension body relative to portions of the tension body distant from the draft lever. When such a hood latch is properly latched, whichever of the anchor end and the draft end of the tension body has the latching structure of the hood latch engaged to it is prevented, by the base latching-structure, from moving substantially in a direction toward the opposite end of the tension body. Also, when such a hood latch is properly latched, the pivot end of the draft lever is pivotally engaged to whichever of the engine-compartment hood and the latch-anchor component the anchor end of the tension body is not engaged to. When the hood latch is properly latched a draft line of the tension body can be considered to be a line extending through the point at which the anchor end of the tension body is engaged to either the engine-compartment hood or the latch-anchor component and also through the point at which the draft lever is engaged to the draft end of the tension body. In order to secure such a hood latch that is properly latched, force is applied to the draft end of the tension body and the draft lever in such a manner that the tension body is stretched as its draft end is extended away from its anchor end and the draft lever rotates in such a direction that the draft line initially moves toward the pivot end of the draft lever. Rotation of the draft lever in such a direction is continued until the draft line has passed the pivot end of the draft lever and the draft line is disposed closer to the engine-compartment hood and the latch-anchor component than is the pivot end of the draft lever. Once the draft line of the tension body is disposed closer to the engine-compartment hood and the latch-anchor component than the pivot end of the draft lever in such a manner, tension forces in the tension body tend to cause rotation of the draft lever toward whichever of the engine-compartment hood and the latch-anchor structure the draft lever is pivotally engaged to. The forces that tend to cause rotation of the draft lever in such a direction are balanced by abutment between the draft lever and/or the tension body and the engine-compartment hood and/or the latch anchor component. Thus, when the hood latch is latched and drawn to such a position that the draft line of the tension body is closer to the engine-compartment hood and the latch-anchor structure than the pivot end of the draft lever, the hood latch is secured in stable equilibrium and applies hood-retention forces to the engine-compartment hood. A construction and arrangement of a hood latch, an engine-compartment hood, and a latch-anchor component that enables securement of the hood latch in stable equilibrium in such a manner is often referred to as an over-center design.
The present invention relates more specifically to a hood-latching system that has hood latches as described above and wherein the engine-compartment hood is pivotally mounted to the vehicle at a point distant from points at which one or more hood latches that are mounted to latch-anchor component(s) may be latched to the engine-compartment hood. When the hood latch(s) of such a hood latching system are not latched and the engine-compartment hood is pivoted to an open position, the hood latch(s) may subsequently fall into a position such that, when the engine-compartment hood is subsequently pivoted toward its closed position the hood latch(s) can become pinched between the engine-compartment hood and the latch-anchor component(s) to which the hood latch(s) are mounted. FIG. 6, illustrates a prior art vehicle with a such a hood-latching system wherein the engine-compartment hood has been opened and the hood latches of the hood-latching system have fallen into the path of the engine-compartment hood such that, if the engine-compartment hood were closed without moving the hood latches, the hood latches would be pinched between the engine-compartment hood and the latch-anchor components to which they are mounted. Such a construction and arrangement of a hood-latching system may make it necessary to employ the services of two or more people to close the engine-compartment hood because it may be necessary to manually hold the hood latches out of the path of travel of the engine-compartment hood while it is pivoted toward its closed position.
As a result, an object of the present invention is to provide a hood-latching system with hood latches of an over-center design that are mounted to latch-anchor components and that allow for closing of the engine-compartment hood of the vehicle and latching and securement of the hood latches by a single individual.
The present invention is a hood latch, a hood-latching system that comprises one or more of the hood latches of the present invention, and a vehicle that comprises such a hood-latching system with the hood latches of the present invention. The hood latch of the present invention has a tension body that is constructed of elastomer material and has a prop leg that extends from the tension body at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the tension body. A vehicle according to the present invention comprises one or more of the hood latches of the present invention mounted to latch-anchor components that a periphery of the engine-compartment hood of the vehicle is adjacent when the engine-compartment hood is closed. The hood latches of the present invention are of such a construction and the construction of and arrangement of the hood-latching system according to the present invention is such that the hood latches have an over-center design. According to the present invention one or more of the hood latch(s) are mounted to latch anchor component(s) in position(s) and orientation(s) such that their prop leg(s) extending from the tension body(s) prop the tension body(s) above the latch-anchor component(s) to which the hood latch(s) are mounted when the hood latch(s) are not latched. Thus, when the hood latch(s) of the hood-latching system of the present invention are not latched and the engine-compartment hood is pivoted to its open position the prop leg(s) of the hood latch(s) support the tension body(s) of the hood latch(s) above the latch-anchor component(s) to which they are mounted so that the tension body(s) will not be pinched between the engine-compartment hood and the latch-anchor component(s) when the engine-compartment hood is closed.
Thus, it can be seen that the above-mentioned objects of the invention as well as others not mentioned have been met.